Let's get the superlatives out of the way first - the Sinshiem Auto and Technical Museum is the best museum in the world. It is simply stunning with enormous halls filled to the brim with aircraft, cars, trucks, trains, tanks and various other machinery, as well as audio visual displays and an IMAX cinema experience.
Sinshiem is an industrial town near to Heidelburg in south west Germany and the Technik Museum is its biggest tourist attraction. The museum can be reached from the A6 motorway (E50) between the cities of Mannheim and Heilbronn. There is a lot of parking space available. Check out the website: https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/
We originally visited Sinshiem and its sister museum at Speyer in 2009. Photos of our visit are published here: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2009/08/auto-technik-museums-at-sinshiem-speyer.html This photo presentation covers the aircraft and military collections.
A spectacular presentation greets the visitor. A BAE Concorde tails the Soviet version of the Concorde, the Tupelov Tu 144. In the 1960s the Soviets and British and French were competing to be the first to build a supersonic passenger aircraft. Both aircraft had their origin in German wartime experiments aeronautics, hence their similarity. The Tupelov made it into the air first in December 1968, with the Concorde following in March 1969. The Tupelov went into service between Moscow and Alma Aty in Kazakhstan, but after two high publicity crashes it was retired in 1978. https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/tupolev-tu-144
Ex Air France Concorde F-BVFB. Despite being mounted 30 metres above the museum, you can actually visit the Concorde via the stairway at the rear. https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/concorde
Neither the Concorde or Tu-144 were entirely successful aircraft. Their development and running costs were high, and only a small number of each were built. This is the only place where you can see both aircraft together.
A flight of airliners loom over the entrance.
A British Electric Canberra
The German legend, the Junkers Ju-52
As far as kiddy playgrounds go, this one is pretty amazing.
De Havilland Dove airliner
De Havilland Sea Venom. The naval version of the DH Vampire.
DH Sea Venom https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/jet-pilot
A Swiss DH Venom
Havard Trainer over the America car section.
Fokker E1 Eindecker. The 'Fokker scourge' of 1915.
Lanz Bulldog tractor
Renault Omnibus TN4F
Focke-Wulf FW190. Not produced in as large numbers as the Messerschmitt Me109, but arguably a better aircraft.
Junkers Ju54 https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/junkers-ju-52
A Swiss Emmen C-3605 target towing tug flies over a Volkswagen Kubelwagen and Kommanderwagen.
The Emmen C-3605 is a rather unusual aircraft developed specifically as a target tug. 24 were built and entered service in 1968, remaining in service until 1986. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%2BW_C-3605
Stug III and NSU Kettenkrad
Stug III
Stug III
Like their Allied counterparts, the German paratroopers also developed a folding parachute 'bike.'
Panther tank. https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/tank-v-panther
BMW
Tempo 1200 Gelanderwagen, Ford amphibious jeep and a Ost-schlepper tracked truck. Interestingly, the Fieseler Storch liaison aircraft in civilian registration. https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/fieseler-storch
Raupenschlepper Ost. After experiencing their first 'rasputinsa' (aka mud season) in Russia, the Germans realized that they needed a tracked truck if they weren't to become literally 'bogged down.' The Raupenschlepper (caterpillar tractor east) was quickly developed by the Austrian Steyer company and entered service in 1942. The vehicle was also built under license by the Auto-Union Wanderer plant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raupenschlepper_Ost
Rauschlepper Ost
Military vehicles are expected to be able to traverse difficult country and the Tempo company of Hamburg came up with a novel solution. The Tempo 1200 Gelander (cross country car) was powered by two 600cc two stroke engines, one mounted in the front driving the front wheels and the other mounted in the rear driving the rear wheels. The engines could be run independently or together. The front engine could rotate with the front axles, allowing the front axles a considerable amount of traverse while under power. The body floated over the central tube chassis and had high ground clearance. The car also had four wheel steering, although this was only recommended for very experienced drivers. Despite it's amazing cross country performance, the German army was not interested as they disliked their two stroke motor. Tempo however found a market in the armies of Scandinavia and neighboring countries. After the Germans swept through Europe, many Tempos were commandeered into German service. http://tempohanseat.blogspot.com/2018/12/tempo-cross-country-car-english-sales.html
The Nazis are portrayed as aiming to 'conquer the world' in the Second World War, but this is only Allied propaganda and could not be further from the truth. All of Germany's campaigns were initiated for the purpose of border readjustment (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, and Russia) or were contingent (Low Countries, Denmark, Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece and Libya). Against all expectations - including the German general staff - German arms proved outstanding, gaining total victories over all her enemies. After so much success, the question is always asked, "why risk it all and invade Russia?" Firstly, Germany's strategic objectives were all in the east. Germany had ended the Great War with her south eastern border in what is now the Ukraine and her north eastern border in Estonia. All of this new territory as well as large parts of Germany/Prussia were stripped from Germany in 1919 and divided up between the new nations of eastern Europe (who promptly went to war with each to seize what they could from their neighbours). Germany never accepted this loss. Even the Weimar Republic aimed to recover the lost German lands.
Although in 1940 Germany had conquered and occupied France, this was always considered a temporary occupation that would be relinquished once a peace was agreed with Great Britain. As part of a new Concert of Europe, German troops would withdraw from France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway. There would be some border adjustments between France and Germany (the Alsace and Saarland), Luxembourg would be annexed, and the governments in those countries would be tied to Germany via peace treaties that included commercial ties and German oversight of their foreign policy. Ironically, this is no more or less what Germany would later gain through the European Union. This settlement would leave Germany free to 'recover' her lands in the east.
The German general staff would later blame Hitler entirely for the debacle in Russia, but it was their plan and their intelligence that led them into disaster. They observed the Red Army's dismal initial performance in the Winter War with Finland and they drew the wrong conclusion, expressed by Adolf Hitler himself with the comment, "one swift kick will be enough to bring down the whole rotten structure." Instead of looking at how the Red Army started the war, they should have observed how they finished it - they knuckled down, learned their lessons and pressed on relentlessly. The same lesson could be seen in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 and the border wars in Manchuokou for anyone wanting to look.
Consequently, from a pinnacle of success in 1941, Germany embarked on the largest land invasion in history with a military that was exhausted and unfit; with no winter clothing prepared; without strategic supply capability; with a military industry that was winding down production across all services (aircraft, tanks, submarine and warship production was declining in 1941 and 42); and with war materiel that was rapidly becoming out of date. And this is why we have here the Panzer 38(T) as a symptom of the lack of German strategic planning.... https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzer-38T.php
The Panzer 38(T) was not a German panzer but a Czechoslovakian Skoda-CKD TNH https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/czech/CKD-TNH_Skoda_LT-Vz-38.php Skoda had been a major producer and exporter of tanks and artillery and the TNH series were a popular light tank that was probably equivalent to the Panzer III. After the German annexation of Bohemia and Moravia, the Skoda works was used to make up for the deficiencies in German tank production. Renamed the Panzer 38(T), these tanks fought in France and later made up a considerable proportion of the German panzer forces in Russia. Although they were obsolete by 1942, 38(T) chassis were used as the basis for the Jagdpanzer Hetzer and other self propelled artillery.
For example, this self propelled artillery piece is mounted on a Panzer 38(T) hull.
From left to right, a Jadgpanzer Hetzer https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Jagdpanzer-38_Hetzer.php, a French Renault UE tankette https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/Renault_UE.php and a German self propelled artillery mounted on a Czech tank chassis.
Flak gun on a Panzer IV chassis
Wespe self propelled artillery platform and a Zundapp motorcycle (left) and BMW motorcycle (right).
Jagdpanzer
Panzer IV https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzer_IV.php
Soviet Mig-15
Junkers Ju88 and Junkers Ju52
Beneath the Junkers we see an SdKFz half track in the foreground and a Horch truck
I feel that the glazed nose of the Junkers isn't exactly right. https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/junkers-ju-88
Spanish built version of the Heinkel He111
The Heinkel He111 looms over the Mig.
The Heinkel He111 https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/heinkel-he-111
The remains of a Junkers Ju87 Stuka https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/junkers-ju-87
The Stuka as a ground attack aircraft and the Heinkel He111 were instrumental in the early success of the German army in 1940, but both aircraft were obsolete by 1941. Lack of suitable successors meant both aircraft continued to be updated and adapted for other uses.
A British 'Bren Carrier'
Afrika Korps display.
In the centre a Jagdpanther tank destroyer.
Soviet and German militaries
WW2 display
Soviet T-34 in the foreground flanked by a US Sherman.
Soviet T-34 and the tail end of the Junkers Ju88.
If you are ever in Germany and passing this way, Sinsheim and its sister museum at Speyer are must see places to visit. Allow several hours as there is so much to do here. For museum details, check out their website: https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en/
For photos of Speyer and the automobile collections, check out these links:
Speyer aircraft and military: https://militarymuseum.blogspot.com/2020/05/speyer-technical-museum-germany.html
Motorcycles: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2009/08/auto-technik-museums-at-sinshiem-speyer.html
Microcars: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2009/08/sinshiem-micro-car-collection.html
European cars: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2009/12/speyer-and-sinshiem-auto-collection.html
American cars: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2009/12/sinshiem-auto-collection-american-cars.html
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